Existential

Based on the principles of the existential movement popularized by philosophers such as Heidegger, Dostoevsky, Kafka, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Sartre, existential therapy proposes that mental conflicts arise from an individual’s concern with the “givens” of human existence. These include the inevitability of death, freedom, existential isolation, and meaninglessness. Existential therapy does not focus on the past and instead works to empower the individual to take responsibility for their decisions and create the present and future they want. Existential therapy is most beneficial for clients who view their problems as challenges of living, rather than mental illness symptoms.

Local Experts in Existential

Authenticity and freedom are the primary virtues of existentialism. Completing the Re-Creation of the Self Professional Module, I ascribe to the philosophy which posits that we are innately whole - expansive, abundant and loving. I use this method to empower clients to emerge from perceptions of woundedness and merge with their organic self. https://meta-trainings.com/re-creation-of-the-self-rcs/

I help clients try to make sense of why they exist and their purpose in life. Some issues to discuss are death, freedom, responsibility, isolation and meaning. Inner conflict within a person versus the \'givens\' around him/her is a major theme in this orientation.

Behind much of the pain and anxiety of traumas and life transitions lies discomfort around questions of meaning and purpose. What does it mean that we must die? How do we make sense of the losses we experience? How do we handle freedom? Where do we find life-enhancing connections? My training as a minister and chaplain gives me a frame from which to help you explore these concerns.

My Ph.D. is in existential philosophy, so I am well grounded in the existentialist concepts of anxiety, absurdity, meaning, boredom, and freedom, and how existentialist approaches to these experiences can be empowering and life affirming. I've also studied the work of Irvin Yalom, as well as Victor Frankl's theory of logotherapy.

I affirm the complexity and uniqueness of the clients I work with, and as such I make a concerted effort to understand their different facets, and to treat them with kindness and respect. Existential therapy involves personal identity development, congruence of worldview with practice, and the treatment of big life questions (e.g. personal meaning, beliefs, and purpose).

Sometimes life\'s struggles will test your ability to find meaning of the suffering that your personal life\'s challenges hold. I will help guide you through your own life process of transforming your fears, needs and desires towards acceptance and greater peace...this process can be done through art therapy or talk therapy--or both.

How do you take responsibility for your existence and live fully your unique human potential? This question is at the heart of the personal issues that we face. That is, at a deep level many of our issues result from our not taking our lives with a decisive seriousness. Our lives are real, and we alone are responsible for their fulfillment or lack of fulfillment. This is the existential view.

Living is not for the faint of heart. To seek meaning and actively engage with an exploration of individual and collective humanity is a shifting lifelong journey. Existential therapy wrestles with matters of life and death, and what it means to you to be a human being with all the attendant pain, sorrow, joy, and questioning.

The most powerful component of engaging in counseling is often feeling that someone else is present, understanding and connecting with you about the difficulties you face. Often, anxiety stems from unanswerable questions about meaning, isolation, love, death, and responsibility, for instance. By incorporating existential theory and practice into my work, we can tackle these human fears together.

Existential therapy explores meaning and purpose in life. It looks at deeper questions that people often wrestle: \'What is my purpose in life?\', \'What is the true meaning of life?\' \'What do I believe?\' \'Why am I making the choices I am making?\' \'What is the bigger picture.\'

Most of the neuroticism stems from existential anxieties. It is very important to have a time to look inside and understand what drives you. Existential therapy is one of the most powerful approaches in transformative therapies. I find this approach particularly helpful to clients in life transitions.

We live in each moment, grappling with who we are, experiencing joy, resolving pain. I use our time in session to bring you into this moment, to experience yourself as you are now. I have trained extensively in the art of therapy in the here and now.

Many of us are on an ongoing journey to understand our life's meaning and purpose. We are all longing to feel a sense of self-worth/uniqueness, as well as a sense of belonging/connectedness in the world as we grow and change. With the right support and self-awareness, I believe we all have the capacity to live and expansive, meaningful life.

As a counselor and Highly Sensitive Person, I understand that we all need a purpose in life and sometimes we get stuck and need a little help finding our path and purpose. Part of my focus with every client is to help them find the life purpose that makes them feel whole and empowered again.

Before attending Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2003, I did a masters degree in Psychology at Saybrook Graduate Institute, one of the premier humanistic psychology schools in the US. I currently support my interest in this field through an ongoing consultation group with Bob Edelstein, an existential/humansitic therapist in Portland, OR.

I practice from an existential lens because it is a more philosophical look at life than other more rigid theories. Existential therapy examines 'big picture' themes, such as 'how do we give our lives meaning?' Existential counseling can explore isolation, self-actualization, and how to live most authentically.

I use tenets of Existential Humanistic therapy in my work, as I believe that we all gravitate naturally towards self-determination and holistic congruence. Self-examination and self-awareness are key steps for this - supported in therapy. I use core tenets of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT): such as self-acceptance, emotional regulation systems, and compassionate/content living.

A response to the social, political, and religious fragmentation that occurred in Europe in the last century, existential philosophy forms the basis for an existential-oriented therapy. The seemingly meaningless and random nature of existence and the emotional turbulence that accompanies it are collective human issues which, when embraced fully, can yield unexpected joy and vitality.

The human experience is common ground and through examining what meanings we have and having the sacred space to examine our authenticity, we can find our purpose. Exploring what it means to exist is healthy and normal.

I believe everything we do - our thoughts, feelings and behaviors - are in attempt to be our best self. We are born with an inherent drive towards purpose and meaning, for realizing and expressing one's unique capabilities and creativity.

Dealing with crisis, death, and suffering raises issues about the point of enduring it all. Unresolved existential issues can lead to profound, chronic depression and emptiness. Exploring those thoughts and finding meaning and purpose with clients is one of my passions.

Who am I? How do I fit into the world? What is my purpose? These questions can create anxiety and dissonance, even when 'things are going well.' When things aren't going well, an insecure and uncertain sense of self can feel debilitating. Together, we'll search within your values and consider new possibilities to find answers to these big questions and secure a firm stake in your existence.

Meaning is an individual creation, one we apply, often unconsciously, to every facet and experience of life. I work with clients to examine existential meaning-of-life and meaning-of-death questions within their individual contexts, and help identify where the meanings we hold may be holding us back.

My therapeutic philosophy is rooted in the existential belief that we want meaning and purpose for our lives, and that we have the strengths to make our lives how we want them to be. My job is to creatively engage in the process of clarifying that vision and supporting the efforts to navigate the way there.

Existentialism is a philosophy that claims the most important aspects of our lives are personal responsibility and meaning. When translated into a therapeutic approach, existentialism is a powerful vehicle for accessing your inner wisdom and purpose. I utilize existentialism to help clients connect with their immediate experiences and explore their untapped potential.

Sometimes life presents us with problems that have no easy solution, impossible scenarios, profoundly disturbing questions, and unresolvable tensions. The problems seem to be endless and there is no escape in sight. In situations like these, sometimes the key to making it through is knowing we\'re not alone. ​​ I have hope that healing and abundant life can still be found on a difficult journey.

The only two certainties for human beings are life and death. What we do between those two goalposts is up to us. How do we live with joy and excitement knowing that life is temporary? How do we live with joy and excitement when it seems our lives have dragged on for too long? Acknowledging and accepting the realities of human existence frees us up to engage fully and create lives worth living.